Day 4: Embroidered Wall Art

I started experimenting with embroidered wall art a few months ago by making simple ones with mason jars on them as a little extra to go with my canned good gift baskets. After posting a picture on Instagram, I started getting requests for custom pieces like the one in one of my previous posts, Mission: Commission.

I have some hanging in my craft area at my apartment. Of course, I have one of my mason jar ones. I also am happy to feature a few others as well in this post, although I will certainly have more at the Bluebonnet Bazaar this coming December 13th. This is just a little teaser to get you through until the big day!

Day 2: Lost & Found

I have a vivid memory from my childhood of cobalt blue glass bottles lined up on the sill of my mothers office window at the house I grew up in. I remember how the light looked shining through during every part of the day. I asked my mother why she had all these bottles with nothing in them. Her response was simple. “I love them. I just do. Look at how blue they are.” I never felt that it ever needed any other explaining. Twenty plus years later, I am just like my mother, collecting bottles just to see the light twinkle through the blues, greens, and aged clears.

A while back a friend had stumbled across a collection of old, dusty medicine bottles that were stacked along an old mans barn. I think he got 3 or 4 cases of these bottles. Well, being my mothers daughter I jumped on the chance to get my hands on a few of these these.

These lost bottles have now been found and given a home. I have a few scattered around my living room and bedroom, but admittedly there were a few, particularly the darker brown bottles, that I wanted to give some character and color to, since they didn’t go with anything in my apartment. I decided like any crafty girl to add some ribbon, I held back on the glitter, and to stick with the old theme, I added some dried babies breath and miniature roses. On the brown bottles, instead of adding ribbon, I tied antique lace that I had acquired from an estate sale. Simple but definitely brightens up these little bottles and adds a feminine touch.

It’s December 1st! Bust out the Christmas tree, deck the halls, get ready to roast some chestnuts, and so on. I can hear the carols playing already. Although, I’m not as gung ho as my dear friend, Lindsey of Sweet Tweats, (you should totally check out her page, by the way), I have been putting a splash of eggnog in my coffee for a couple of weeks now and I am definitely looking forward to seeing my family for a White Christmas in the Northeast.

But what’s got me the most excited about the Christmas season this year? Crafting! I will be participating in my first craft fair! This is something I have always wanted to do. Admittedly, it has always seemed a little far out of reach and intimidating, but I’m doing it! I will be a vendor at the BluebonnetBazaar!

This little market will be taking place on Saturday, December 13th in South Austin. Everyday leading up to the Bazaar, I will share a post highlighting an item that I have made and will be available at my booth.

This post is dedicated to Day 1 of the 12 Days of Crafting: Blackberry Bourbon Jam! This jam is the perfect blend of tart, caramelized, spiced goodness. My apartment now smells like a bourbon distillery after cooking the jam down for a few hours. I even had a neighbor know on my door to let me know how great it smelled!